The snow has already started to fall in several cities, and the mercury is dropping. The lights are up in cities around the world; the holiday season has officially begun. With it, comes the holiday travel season. Whether you are travelling for business or leisure, this time of year presents some particular challenges. The second “peak season” in the travel and hospitality industry presents a combination of extra travellers and unpredictable weather.
As much as holiday travel often paints a grim picture of crowded airports and delayed flights, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy your holiday travel plans. Please, keep reading below for our top tips on how to avoid the common pitfalls of holiday travel, and enjoy your next trip.
Holiday Travel Tip #1: Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is one of the easiest ways to save yourself headaches when travelling at any time of year. It is doubly important during a peak season like the holidays. Start planning your trip as early as you can. This way, you can shop around for the best deals on travel and accommodations. You can also arrange the timing of your meetings to work out for both you and your clients.
A little bit of foresight can go a long way. Are flights a lot less expensive on the 14th than the 15th? Leave the day earlier, and spend your first day working from “home,” or a remote office. WeWork and Breather can also offer remote work spaces, depending on your needs. Travelling from city to city for business meetings before travelling back to your hometown for the holidays? With enough advanced planning, you can arrange your destinations to prevent unnecessary back and forth, and simply travel from your meetings to your hometown.
Holiday Travel Tip #2: Find the right setup for you
The holiday travel season is particular because it features many different kinds of travellers. There are families, professionals travelling for business, and individuals travelling home for the holidays. There are also some serious weather concerns to contend with. It is important to consider your options: some prefer flying, others prefer taking the train, and some still prefer to drive themselves.
The length of your stay and who you are travelling with can also play a major factor in your travel plans. Excited to return to your home city, but not thrilled about setting up on a relatives couch for the week? Corporate Stays offers apartments in key areas of major cities. Enjoy some privacy as your explore your old hometown.
Finally, you can save on time and cash if you play to your strengths. Early riser? Go grab that early flight. Excellent at napping? Maybe take the overnight train ride. And depending on your destination, driving can be an easy way to get there, and get around.
Holiday Travel Tip #3: Pack Smart
How you pack for your holiday trip is very important. Some of our more general packing tips, please see our previous blog post featuring our best packing tips, such as making a list, rolling your clothes, and plenty more!
Bringing along gifts is a particular challenge during the holiday season. There are a few ways to work around this issue. The first, should you have your gifts ready and purchased before leaving, would simply be to ship them. You can do this by shipping them in the post or by a courier after wrapping them at home. Like buying online? You can save yourself some work with a few clicks. There are a number of online retailers that offer gift wrap before shipping straight to your destination.
Finally, when packing for your trip, please keep in mind what you can and cannot bring along. Grandma’s homemade jam may be a hit with the family, but airport security will be less thrilled about you having it in your carry-on. Please check the local import/export laws about foods and other homemade treats before boarding your flight or hopping in your car!
Holiday Travel Tip #4: Prep Yourself
At the end of the day, holiday travel is still a peak travel time. Be it the airport, train terminal, or border crossing, it is going to be busy. Please make sure that you give yourself extra time to get through long lines. And prepare to exercise a lot of patience. Being patient and warm with customer service is always in good taste, but during the holiday travel season, it is extra appreciated.
A good way to prepare for your travels is to make sure that you get enough rest whenever possible. Eating healthy will also help reduce the stress of the season, as a healthy body can contribute to a healthy mind. It may be December, but moderation at your holiday parties will pay off.
We hope that these tips will help you enjoy your holiday travels, wherever they may be. And if you are looking for reliable accommodations designed with both business and leisure travellers in mind, Corporate Stays would be thrilled to find you an ideal apartment for your next trip.